Ugandan president, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has urged African leaders to accelerate economic and political integration, warning that failure to unite the continent risks “mis-cooking” the African revolution and condemning millions to continued poverty and instability.
Speaking at the 25th Ordinary Meeting of the East African Community Heads of State in Arusha on March 7, Museveni said Africa’s historical struggle for freedom must now transition into deeper unity and economic cooperation to deliver prosperity and security for its people.
Museveni, who was elected chairperson of the regional bloc for the next year, used the metaphor of a traditional cooking process which he described in the Luganda as “okukonesa”, (mo-cooking) to illustrate how Africa risks undermining its own revolution if integration efforts are poorly implemented or abandoned halfway.
“If we do not work on economic integration seriously and without wasting time, we betray our people,” Museveni said, arguing that fragmented markets continue to frustrate African wealth creators and limit economic growth.
The veteran leader, reflecting on more than six decades of observing political developments across Africa, said the continent’s historical weaknesses — including internal divisions, lack of scientific innovation and rivalries among traditional leaders — opened the door to colonization by European powers in the late 19th century.
He noted that by 1900 nearly the entire African continent had fallen under colonial rule, with the exception of Ethiopia following its victory over Italy in the 1896 Battle of Adwa. According to Museveni, the failure of African leaders at the time to cooperate and modernize made the continent vulnerable to foreign domination and exploitation through slavery and colonialism.
However, he praised early Pan-African movements and liberation struggles that later emerged to challenge colonial rule, citing figures such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, as well as the role of the African National Congress in South Africa.
Museveni said the historical mission of Africa’s liberation movements went beyond political independence, emphasizing four key objectives: liberation, modernization, prosperity and strategic security.
While independence was largely achieved by the early 1990s with the end of apartheid in South Africa, he said the continent has yet to fully realize the second phase of the struggle — unity.
“The question now is: where is Umoja?” Museveni asked, referring to the Swahili word for unity. “Unity for economic prosperity through big markets and unity for political integration to guarantee strategic security.”
He argued that Africa’s fragmented markets continue to limit industrial growth and investment, forcing young people to seek opportunities abroad.
Museveni cited global economic comparisons to illustrate Africa’s economic marginalization, noting that the continent’s combined GDP of about $3.6 trillion remains far below that of the United States, China and India.
“Producers need buyers,” he said. “The more buyers you have, the more prosperous you become. That is why economic integration of East Africa and the whole of Africa is critical.”
The Ugandan leader also emphasized that political integration would strengthen Africa’s strategic security by enabling countries to collectively defend their interests across land, air, sea and space.
He praised past Pan-African leaders such as Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Ahmed Sékou Touré and Modibo Keïta for advancing early integration efforts, singling out Tanzania as one of the countries that successfully sustained elements of economic and political unity.
Museveni also commended the expansion of the East African Community to include Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but warned that some leaders still treat integration as optional.
“In my view, it is mandatory to unite or risk perpetual marginalization,” he said.
Addressing young Africans directly, Museveni called on the continent’s youth to revive the Pan-African ideals of freedom and unity championed by earlier generations.
“What is generating the migration of African youth dying in the Mediterranean Sea going to Europe?” he asked. “It is the narrowness of Africa’s money economy that does not create enough jobs.”
He concluded by urging leaders to fully implement regional integration frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area and the East African Community roadmap, arguing that only a united Africa can create sustainable prosperity and long-term security.
